The Chinese New Year is full of the temptation of scrumptious snacks. Cookies, fried delicacies, dried meat (bakkwa), spicy seafood, mandarin oranges… you name it. These are heaty foods and coupled with the hot weather during the Chinese New Year, it is easy to fall sick and get a sore throat.
Incorporating more fluids into our diet will lower the risk of falling sick. However, plain water might taste bland after having all the festive season delicacies. So, let’s have some fruit punches! Here are a few non-alcoholic recipes for the whole family.
Summer fruit punch
It’s always summer in Malaysia, making the drink suitable all year round. The red cranberry juice suits the Chinese New Year theme well.
Juice of:
5 oranges
1 pineapple (medium)
4 large limes
320ml Ginger ale
1 liter cranberry juice
(optional) fruit slices
Ice cubes
Yield: 16 servings
1) Chill orange, pineapple, and cranberry juices in a large bowl.
2) Before serving, add in ginger ale and lime juice to taste
3) Add the ice cubes and fruit slices and serve
Lychee Soda
This drink is best suited to serve with spicy dishes as the sweetness of lychee could tame the spiciness. It’s also less stringent on the ingredients and might even be readily available in your store.
1 liter of ice-cream soda or 7-Up or Sprite (chilled)
300 ml drinking water
1 large can of lychee
2 strands of mint leaves (optional, for garnish)
Ice cubes
Yields: 10 servings
1) Mix the can of lychee (with the syrup), water and mint leaves together in a large bowl.
2) Pour cold soda, add in the ice cubes and serve
Grass Jelly Soya
Add some local flavors to the table by the grass jelly soya drink which was also known as “Michael Jackson” for its black and white colored combination.
4 liters of cold unsweetened soya bean drink
1 kg grass jelly
250g Gula Melaka
250ml hot water
Tips: if it’s hard to find unsweetened soya bean during MCO, use boxed less-sugar soya bean drinks and cut down on the Gula Melaka.
Yields: 10 servings
1) Add hot water and grated Gula Melaka in a small pot, turn on low heat and whisk till it fully melted.
2) Cut grass jelly into small cubes
3) Add Gula Melaka syrup, soya bean drink into a large jug and stir thoroughly
4) Scoop grass jelly into glasses before pouring the prepared drink
These non-alcoholic fruit punches are refreshing thirst-quenchers on sunny days. Try a few of these this festive season!
